Container-holder.



W. B. WILLIAMS.

GONTAINEE HOLDER; APPilIGATION FILED SEPT. 27, 1909.

Patented Oct. 31, 1911.

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UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

WINFIELD B. WILLIAMS, 0]? WAXAI-IAGHIE, TEXAS.

CONTAINER-HOLDER.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVINFIELD B. VIL LIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at IVaxahachie, in the county of Ellis and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Container- Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to container holders.

It is customary in transporting ice cream, ices and the like, to pack the same in a metal container and place the latter in a wooden receptacle known as a packer, fill- .ing the space between the container and the inner walls of the packer with broken ice. There is nothing to prevent the container from moving about in the packer after the ice has partly melted. In serving the contents of the container it is customary to hold the glasses or dishes in one hand and remove the contents of the container with a disher held in the other hand. When a small quantity of the contents of the container, say one-fourth, has been removed and considerable water accumulated in the packer from the melted ice, the container although it may contain several pounds of ice cream or the like, will float and when it is attempted to dish therefrom, the container floating becomes elusive and moves in all directions. It is obvious that the server holding the dishes or glasses in one hand can not grasp the container but must dish the cream from the floating container,which is diflicult and often results in the forcing of the container below the surface of the brine water which runs into the container and spoils the contents thereof. Further a floating container has a tendency to tilt over to the side of the packer very often dipping the brine water before the lid is placed in position, the positioning of the lid being difficult under such conditions. To prevent the upper portion of the container from floating some distance above the surface of the brine water and the contents becoming soft it is necessary to pour off the water and re-ice the packer, which with a five-gallon container costs about thirty cents.

It is therefore the object of this invention to provide means readily secured in the packer for holding the container in position and against floating and also maintaining it in the center of the packer.

It is further the object to form this holder Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 27, 1909.

Patented Oct. 31, 1911. Serial No. 519,862.

of resilient material whereby a container is frictionally held and quickly returned to its central position if tilted to one side.

Finally the object of the invention is to provide means of the character described that will be strong, durable, efficient, and easy of operation, simple and comparatively inexpensive to construct, and also in which the several parts will not be likely to get out of working order.

with the above and other objects in view, the invention has relation to certain novel features of construction and operation, an example of which is described in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a vertical section of the packer showing a container therein in elevation and held in position by the holder, Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line w00 of Fig. 1, a portion of the bottom of the container being broken away to show the manner of fastening the holder in the packer, Fig. 8 is a detail of the holder, and Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modified form.

In the drawings, the numeral 1, designates an ordinary packer tub and 2 the bot tom thereof. In the packer tub an ordinary cylindrical metal container 3 is placed. The container is provided with a slip cover at. The form of container now commonly in use is provided with a rounded bottom cap 5 fitting over the bottom of the container and extending upward a short distance on the outside thereof to form an annular shoulder 5. The parts just described are of common construction and form no part of this invention except in combination with the holder to produce the result sought to be obtained.

The holder comprises a plurality of resilient members 6. Each member comprises an inwardly extending foot 7 provided with a plurality of openings 8 adapted to re ceive screws or other fastenings. From the foot a short side portion 8 extends upward at the outer end, the foot being merged into the side portion by a comparatively sharp curve. Each member is preferably formed of strap metal of a resilient nature, but sufliciently stiif to hold the shape into which it is formed and to return to said shape when sprung out of its normal position. At the upper end of its side portion 8, each member is bent sharply inward to form a short inwardly inclined stop 9 as best shown in Fig. 0. At the upper end of the stop the member is again bent sharply and extended some distance upward to form an inwardly inclined tongue 10 terminating at its upper end in an outwardly directed rounded lip bearing 11.

In the drawings the holder has been shown with four members, but it is to be understood that this number of members may be varied.

in placing the holder in the packer, the members 6 are so placed that the distance between the portions 8 of opposed members will be sui'licient to snugly receive the cap 5, the foot portion of each member being rigidly secured. on the bottom 2 of the packer by screws 12 passed through the openings 8. This will cause the tongues 11 to project inward and their lip portion 11 to be engaged by the rounded bottom of the cap 5 when the container 8 is lowered into the packer. As the container is forced downward into the holder, the tongues 10 will be sprung outward and snugly engage the sides of the container as its downward movement is continued. When the container is forced down to the full extent the cap 5 will stand in the portions 8 with its upper end at the stops 9 as shown in Fig. 1. This permits the tongues to lie fiat against the side walls of the container in frictional engagement, while the stops 9 projecting over the upper end of the cap will assist the tongues in holding the container against floating upward.

By reason of the resilient members and the inclined stops 9, the container if tilted to one side by the server in dishing the contents, will when pressure is relieved thereon, be returned to its central. position. To more clearly explain this and referring to Fig. 1, it will be noted that if the container is swung to the right, the right hand tongue 10 will be sprung outward and the upper edge of the cap 5 caused to ride up the inclined stop 9 of the opposite left hand member. Thus when the container is released, the sprung rlght hand tongue will force it back to the center and the inclined stop 9 of the left hand member will permit the edge of the cap 5 to readily ride downward.

i l i l In Fig. 4 a slightly modified form is shown and all parts are the same in construction as those described above except the foot portions 14 which cross each other at the center of the holder and are suitably secured together.

Besides the advantages and convenience had by using the holder a great saving in ice is made for the reason that the container can not float up out of the brine water which water is cold enough even after all the ice has melted to keep the contents of the container firm. Whereas if the holder is not used so much of the container will be exposed above the brine water as to cause the contents to become soft and partially melted.

The container is readily removed from the holder by grasping the upper end and simultaneously swinging it from side to side and pulling upward.

lVhat I claim is:

In combination with a packer tub and a container having a rounded bottom and an annular shoulder near its lower end, a plu rality of cooperating spring members for maintaining said container in a vertical position, said spring members being secured to said tub in spaced relation and each consisting of a foot portion, a vertical brace member carried by the outer end of said foot portion, an inwardly inclined element formed on the upper end of said brace memher, a comparatively long resilient tongue formed on said inclined element and caused thereby to bear against the side of the container, and a rounded bearing on the extremity of said resilient tongue, the arrangement being such that the lower portion of the can is surrounded by a spaced support, and the sides thereof are maintained in a normal vertical relation by the bearings carried on the extremities of said resilienttongues.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WINFIELD B. VILLIAMS.

\Vitnesses W. E. STRICKLAND, T. D. MYERS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

